My Shepherd

Psalm 23 begins,  "The Lord is my shepherd."

      One of the most widely read and best loved passages in all of Scripture is Psalm 23, the Shepherd Psalm.  Our devotionals are going to take a close look at its details for awhile.

      We begin by asking,  "Just who is this Shepherd, yours and mine?" 

He is the Lord, the Triune God, our Creator, Redeemer, and Sustainer. 

He is God Almighty, omnipotent, omniscient, omnipresent, glorious, a righteous, holy God, but also One who is full of grace and mercy and forgiveness and love.  Because He loves us, He desires the very best for us.  We also desire the very best lives we can have, but only God is wise enough to know what that best is and powerful enough to bring that best about.  Someone said this,  "He is too good to do evil, too wise to make a mistake, and too powerful to lose control."  And He is our Shepherd.  The only safe place for our lives to be is in His much more than capable hands.

      Since the Lord is our Shepherd, it behooves us to become submissive to His will and walk in the paths through which He leads us.

  It is only by following our Shepherd that our lives will find optimum fulfillment.  We are challenged to do just that in Proverbs 3:5-6, "Trust in the Lord with all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.  In all thy ways acknowledge him, and he shall direct thy paths."

Father, thank You that You are willing to guide us step by step through this life.  May I always be submissive to Your will and walk in the path that You mark out for me.  Amen.